Hongniang, or Scarlet, is a fictional character from '' Yingying's Biography'', a Chinese story by

Yuan Zhen Yuan Zhen (; 779 – September 2, 831), courtesy name Weizhi (), was a Chinese novelist, poet, and politician of the middle Tang dynasty. In prose literature, Yuan Zhen is particularly known for his work '' Yingying's Biography'', which has oft ...

(779–831), and ''

Romance of the Western Chamber ''Romance of the Western Chamber'' (), also translated as ''The Story of the Western Wing'', ''The West Chamber'', ''Romance of the Western Bower'' and similar titles, is one of the most famous China, Chinese dramatic works. It was written by the ...

'', a Chinese play by

Wang Shifu Wang Shifu () (1250-1337?), courtesy name of Wang Dexin (), was a Chinese dramatist and playwright of the Yuan dynasty. He is a representative of “Wencaipai” (Literal talent group) in Chinese opera literature. He was born in Dadu (present-day B ...

(1250–1337?). She is the maidservant of Cui Yingying. The character of Hongniang became increasingly important from Yuan Zhen's story to Wang Shifu's play and later versions, eventually becoming the protagonist in the one-act play ''Hongniang''. In Wang Shifu's play, Hongniang plays a key role as a witty, cunning, and righteous character who facilitates the love affair between Cui Yingying and Scholar Zhang (Zhang Gong). Hongniang has entered modern Chinese vocabulary as a synonym for a (female) matchmaker.

References

Fictional Tang dynasty people {{China-lit-stub